Familiar with story of Deputy Marshal Rooster Cogburn? If you have seen the movie True Grit (1969), you most likely remember John Wayne’s notable performance of this fictional character. Rooster is overweight, hard-drinking, trigger-happy lawman that was recruited by lead character Mattie, who convinces him that he has “grit” and reputation that makes him best suited for the job to find her father’s killer. Featured on the label of this 12oz can is “Brewster”, a charming rooster with iconic eye patch and shiny badge.

The beer itself pours a golden orange with frothy white head that sticks to glassware. Immediately, the aroma of fresh baked vanilla cookies hits the air upon opening and the sweet malt character dominates the flavor with each sip. This beer finishes clean and refreshing with a subtle honey touch and could make an excellent brunch beer choice or after dinner treat for dessert.

I visited with Jason Graham, one of the owners of Saloon Door and turns out this beer is an original favorite of the brew house and one they just recently started to can for distribution. With nitro cans coming soon (more on that later in the month) and new taproom offerings each week, they are ramping up on exactly what they set out to do: Always have a beer for everyone. While Brewster has that nice vanilla touch, the beer profile of a cream ale is still approachable to new craft beer drinkers and Saloon Door didn’t miss the mark on that fact. The high ABV % on this beer brings down the sweetness profile on vanilla, leaving behind an enjoyable beer without the fuss of overpowering sting of being too sweet. With its light body I can see why more and more drinkers are flocking to Saloon Door beer. After all, if you are gonna play the role of craft beer drinker, why not have something that offers a bit more punch? Catty Corner, the classic cream ale is still a crowd favorite at the brewery and usually available on tap for your less adventurous days!

Overall, great beer from a great Houston brewery and can’t wait to see more beer experiments from Saloon Door! Take a trip to the NASA area and visit the taproom – let them know Sylvia sent you to try out the cream ale on nitro if you get a chance! You wont regret it!

The post Saloon Door’s Brewster Cogburn Imperial Vanilla Cream – A bit cocky but delicious first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Saloon Door’s Brewster Cogburn Imperial Vanilla Cream – A bit cocky but delicious appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

I was there with my brother, so we got to try quite a few of their different offerings. The stand outs for us were their two pilsners on tap and the English Summer Ale. I started with the Ennio Pils, an Italian-style pilsner. It was extremely light and refreshing, great for an afternoon sip. Next was the Hella Pils, what they dub as a west coast pilsner. This was one of the best american Pilsners I have ever had. Great hop character, with just enough malt to give it a little mouthfeel without it losing its light crispness you want in a pilsner. 

The final beer of the visit was the English Summer Ale, and we definitely saved the best for last (I was so excited after smelling it that I forgot to take a picture with the full glass). They offer it in two different versions, one on nitro and one on cask. For science, we got one of each. This pale English bitter was the perfect summer beer. At 5.5% ABV, it wasn’t too big to rule out multiple pints, but had enough flavor to stand up to food. It started with a cracker maltiness that was accompanied by a nice light bitterness from the english hops. Both the nitro and the cask were great, with the cask having just a hint more carbonation versus the creamier nitro. Other beers i can’t wait to try out next time I go are their collaboration with True Anomaly, a tart saison called First Bloom and their Brett Saison, Provisional. Another thing to watch out for is their Brew Club Beers, where members of the green level of their brew club get to brew a batch on their pilot system and have it on the tap wall. 

When they opened in November of 2019, I was slightly worried about their longevity. While everything I had then was good, there was nothing special about their beers to make them stand out from the rest of the Houston beer crowd. Fortunately for everyone, they have started finding their niche. With the Heights Light starting to show up on tap lists at restaurants, cans of their Dry Hopped Kolsch, Fruited Splitz, and Redwood IPA on the shelves at grocery stores around town, and their approachable tap room, they have done a great job carving out a spot for themselves, and I know they will continue to knock out great beers. If you find yourself over in their neighborhood, do yourself a favor and check them out. You can thank me later.

Cheers, and happy drinking!

The post A Hangout in the Heights first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post A Hangout in the Heights appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.